


Christmas Lights

by softfeathers



Series: SwanMills Christmas [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 04:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8695987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softfeathers/pseuds/softfeathers
Summary: Day One: Emma decides that Regina needs to get into the Christmas spirit. (They aren't in a relationship in this and there isn't really anything relationship-y in it, but it's Emma and Regina being cute as always.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd and, for the most part, unedited. Most of these probably will be, if I'm being honest. Sorry about that. If you see any mistakes, please let me know - I promise that I don't bite. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think - and happy December 1st.

“Emma? What the hell are you doing in my house?” Regina asked, though it was clear what the blonde was doing. She was, for some unknown reason, stringing Christmas lights around the railing of a staircase that most certaintly did not belong to her. 

“You hear someone, who is definitely not small enough to be Henry, in your house at three in the morning, and you stop to grab your robe?” Was Emma’s response, her eyebrows raised and eyes fixing Regina with an incredulous stare.

“Yes. Now why on earth are you in my house?” There was a fireball being conjured in her hand as she spoke, which Emma rolled her eyes at. Regina frowned. Why was the Savior not cowering in fear?

“Because Henry told me that you weren’t ‘in the Christmas spirit,’ and asked me to help get you in it. Also because I was pretty sure that you weren’t going to let me come decorate when you were awake, so…” She shrugged, eyeing the fireball in Regina’s hand. “Are you going to put that away? I’m pretty sure these lights are flammable.”

Regina opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. Then, after fixing her thoughts, she opened it again. “It’s December first,” was all she could manage to say, the ball of fire dying in her hand.

“I know. But Henry said that when he asked you what you wanted for Christmas, you looked sad. The kid’s thirteen, Regina. He isn’t stupid.”

“I know Henry isn’t stupid,” Regina snapped.

Emma, frustrating as always, only laughed. “I know that you know Henry isn’t stupid.” She tilted her head to the side and made a face. Regina knew she was trying to figure out if the words she’d just said made any sense. Regina had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

“Good.”

“Are you going to come help me decorate?” Emma asked, giving her signature grin. Regina didn’t dare think about why she knew what Emma’s “signature” grin looked like.

“No. It’s three in the morning.”

Emma sighed. “I know. Fine. Go back to sleep then, Grinch.”

Regina inhaled, holding her breath as if it was the only thing keeping her from strangling the blonde that she considered a friend. (Really, it was the only thing.)

“I’m not a Grinch, Emma. I’m just tired.”

“I’ll let you go back to sleep if you tell me why you’re not in the Christmas spirit. You were happy last year on Christmas. You even made me cookies,” Emma said.

Her tone was so sad and concerned that Regina couldn’t bring herself to snap. “Henry was with me last year.”

“So?” She asked, clearly not understanding.

“So, Miss Swan,” Regina replied, losing what little patience she had despite her resolve to be nice to the blonde, “he won’t be this year.”

Emma set down the Christmas lights in her hand and turned so that her full body was facing Regina. She couldn’t tell whether the look on the face of the Savior was one of anger, confusion, or sadness.

“Who told you that?” Emma asked.

Sadness, definitely. Regina frowned. “It’s only fair that he spends this year with you.”

She smiled at that, but shook her head. “Henry belongs here on Christmas. He has spent every single Christmas of his life in his house, and I’m not going to ask him to change that this year. This is where he wants to be, Regina.”

Regina just stared. Truth be told, she didn’t know what else to do. She knew that they’d come a long way from “He’s my son!” and “No, he’s mine!”, but she never expected this. This, this is more than she ever could have asked from Emma.

The year before, when Emma had allowed Henry to stay with her, that had been more about trust and friendship, but this? Allowing the boy to stay with Emma would have only been fair.

“But what about you?” She asked, a frown on her lips. There were a million other things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t. Not yet.

“What about me?” Emma replied.

“What are you going to do for Christmas?”

“Oh.” Emma shrugged. “I’m going to do what I’ve always done. I’ll make breakfast and watch Christmas movies on TV. After that, I’ll have dinner with my parents, and hopefully you and the kid. That’s what I was going to ask you tomorrow, after I’d gotten you into the Christmas spirit.” Emma grinned. “I don’t want to take away from what you and Henry do on Christmas, but I obviously want to see him for longer than to just give him his present, and my parents do too.”

Regina was frowning while Emma grinned. “No.”

“No?” Emma asked, her grin disappearing. “Why not?”

“Because you’re spending Christmas here.” It was a quick decision, one that she probably shouldn’t have made, but she couldn’t - wouldn’t - take it back. “No one deserves to spend Christmas alone, Emma.”

Regina knew that the Charming’s would be more than happy to include Emma in their holiday festivities for the entire day, but she also knew that the blonde wouldn’t feel comfortable there. The year prior, Emma had worked on Christmas and used that as her excuse. Leroy was taking over this year, however, which took away that option.

“I can’t do that, Regina.”

“Yes, you can. And you will.”

“Why?” Emma asked, and her voice was quiet. Soft, too. Maybe a little broken. They were standing close to each other then, though Regina wasn’t sure how it had happened.

“No one deserves to spend Christmas alone, Miss Swan,” she replied.

For once, and much to the surprise of Regina, there was no protesting of the familiar moniker. In fact, Emma even smiled at it.

“Thank you.” Emma did something that they didn’t do then, something that was foreign to both women. She wrapped her arms around Regina, who stiffened at first before relaxing into it. It was awkward and strange, hugging the woman who she had hated for so long but had since befriended, but it also felt right. Like they fit.

“You’re welcome,” Regina replied. The embrace didn’t last long due to the fact that she pulled away, but it was exactly what the brunette needed. She smiled at Emma. “Now please, stop decorating my house and go to sleep.”

Emma laughed. She nodded her head and, with a wave of her hand, made it so that the unfinished decorations were placed in a box rather than strewn around on Regina’s floors. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Regina.” She was still giving that goofy smile that Regina refused to admit how much she loved.

“Stay.” Regina returned the smile, unable to resist when the blonde was in her presence.

“What? Inviting me into your bed, Madam Mayor?” Emma grinned, a playful wink sent towards Regina.

The older woman knew that the blonde was teasing her and smacked her in the arm. “I have a guest bedroom,” Regina pointed out. Though, really, she didn’t want Emma to sleep in the guest bedroom. Not even a little bit.

“Four. You have four guest bedrooms.” Emma narrowed her eyes, but the action was laughable due to the grin.

“Semantics,” was Regina’s reply, a dismissive wave of her hand accompanying the words. “Are you staying or not, dear? It’s late, and I’d like to go back to sleep.”

“Well, how can I resist that offer. You have a significantly more comfortable bed than I do, even in your guest bedroom.”

Regina rolled her eyes and motioned for the blonde to head upstairs.

“Our son is with your parents, I presume?”

“Duh. I wouldn’t leave him alone this late.”

“Good.” Regina nodded. They had arrived in front of the room. “Well. Goodnight, Emma.”

The Savior’s voice was soft when she spoke, the grin on her lips replaced with a grateful smile. “Goodnight, Regina.”

And then the blonde disappeared into the room with a familiarity that came with spending most of your time somewhere, the kind of familiarity one gets when they spend many drunken nights in the house of a friend.

Regina smiled, then retreated to her own bedroom. She closed the door and got under her covers, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


End file.
